Healing Haiti -ST

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Our team jumped on the tap tap this morning anticipating
what God had in store for us to learn today.
What was God going to teach us?
How were our hearts going to be opened to learn more about who God is
through his own people?

As we arrived in Cite Soleil the children mobbed us with
large grins and joyful spirits. Seeing
the joy in their eyes under the extreme poverty the team was taken aback by
their large smiles and gigantic, never ending hugs. Watching the line of water buckets continually
growing partnering with desperation some team members witnessed the excitement
of receiving water for their families, and how grateful the Haitians were receiving
their portion of clean water. Walking
buckets to their homes and seeing the conditions and their reality of poverty
and the lack of comfort that they have compared to what we have back in the states we asked ourselves the
question, “How could we be born into a country that has so much materialistic possessions and
wealth?” The Haitians didn’t choose to
be born into extreme poverty and as Americans, what do we do with this
materialistic abundance?

When water was being distributed to the Haitians, other team
members held children and played games.
Tickling and joking with the children to see the joy in their face under
all of the chaos brought peace to our hearts knowing we are leaving a mark of
Jesus with them when we left Cite Soliel. As we were playing with kids, we noticed that
the kids did not have any toys, or the clothing the kids wore were ratty, and
they were filthy dirty.

What is God trying to teach me on this trip? This question, God continues to place on our
hearts as we serve Gods people.

Monday, March 2, 2015

These are some of our “words of the day” from our 14-membered team. Our hodge-podge, hand-picked team finally all congregated in Miami, after flying in from Minnesota and Kentucky! We are so thankful to God for our safe travels and smooth sailing today!

Leaders: Tom & Shelley

Brittany

Claudia

Hannah

Jeff James

Kaley

Lacey

Michael & Erin

Michelle

Rachael

Sara

Tonya

In Sarah Young’s “Jesus Calling” for today, March 2nd, it says, “I am the resurrection and the life; all lasting Life emanates from Me. People search for life in many wrong ways: chasing after fleeting pleasures, accumulating possessions and wealth, trying to deny the inevitable effects of aging. Meanwhile, I freely offer abundant Life to everyone who turns toward Me. As you come to Me and take My yoke upon you, I fill you with My very Life. This is how I choose to live in the world and accomplish My purposes. This is also how I bless you with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory. The Joy is Mine, and the Glory is Mine; but I bestow them on you as you live in My Presence, inviting Me to live fully in you.”

As many of our team members have been to Haiti at least one other time, and some first-timers, we are looking forward to a JOY-filled week! The JOY of the Lord is our strength! We all have our stories and carry the good things of our lives and the bad things of our lives, and God uses all of that for His glory. The best part is, He gives us joy and peace in return-thank you Lord! 1 Peter 1:8 says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

We are looking forward to Cite Soliel water truck deliveries tomorrow…!!

These are some of our “words of the day” from our 14-membered team. Our hodge-podge, hand-picked team finally all congregated in Miami, after flying in from Minnesota and Kentucky! We are so thankful to God for our safe travels and smooth sailing today!

Leaders: Tom & Shelley

Brittany

Claudia

Hannah

Jeff James

Kaley

Lacey

Michael & Erin

Michelle

Rachael

Sara

Tonya

In Sarah Young’s “Jesus Calling” for today, March 2nd, it says, “I am the resurrection and the life; all lasting Life emanates from Me. People search for life in many wrong ways: chasing after fleeting pleasures, accumulating possessions and wealth, trying to deny the inevitable effects of aging. Meanwhile, I freely offer abundant Life to everyone who turns toward Me. As you come to Me and take My yoke upon you, I fill you with My very Life. This is how I choose to live in the world and accomplish My purposes. This is also how I bless you with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory. The Joy is Mine, and the Glory is Mine; but I bestow them on you as you live in My Presence, inviting Me to live fully in you.”

As many of our team members have been to Haiti at least one other time, and some first-timers, we are looking forward to a JOY-filled week! The JOY of the Lord is our strength! We all have our stories and carry the good things of our lives and the bad things of our lives, and God uses all of that for His glory. The best part is, He gives us joy and peace in return-thank you Lord! 1 Peter 1:8 says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

We are looking forward to Cite Soliel water truck deliveries tomorrow…!!

Monday, October 13, 2014

Our team name is Haiti Class of 2015 because we have 4 high school seniors from Mahtomedi High School on our mission team :-) And we just happen to have 15 people in total on our team!! We arrived at the Healing Haiti Guesthouse this afternoon safe and sound with 33 suitcases of much needed donations!

We are feeling so blessed to be in Haiti to be Our Lord's servants, and we are so ready! Tomorrow we will be going to deliver water in Cite Soleil, the poorest area in the world. We are honored to be going there to serve. We'll also be serving at Haitian Initiative after our water deliveries. We will be sharing our experiences all this week via this blog.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

What an amazing team we have here in Haiti. Helping hands, each bringing their own gifts to the table to make the team able to maximize what God has been able to do in and through us this week.

Some of the days? Are hard. No matter what the giftedness, sometimes there is just enough to break your heart.

Friday started with a trip out to Carrefor- a Home for Sick/Dying Adults. We drove along the coast, getting a glimpse of the beauty in Haiti. We had to split up- men can't be in the women's area and vice versa. The upper level had a few different rooms of women, so as a group of women, we split up as well. My room had a woman who was in need of care- the doctor there volunteers a few times a week and otherwise works in a clinic and has applications out to secure a position at the hospital. What a blessing he is. Jaime was able to talk with him while rubbing lotion on one of the women that was being treated. The rest of us in my group gave massages to the women in their beds and painted nails. Conversation is limited due to not being fluent in Creole and them not understanding English. In the other women's room, they had just lost one of the patients there... I couldn't imagine.

Next stop was at General Hospital. It is a hard place to describe that would honor the Haitians and be true to my description in my head. It is a much different space than what we expect in the care we receive back home. I am so thankful it exists, as they provided care to many in the wake of the earthquake. I am thankful they have it to determine what is wrong with the children we see there. I mourn the status of the buildings we were in. We have a couple of teachers who organized a drive for supplies for the hospital down here- providing formula, bottles, clothing, etc for the parents. Each crib received one in the first three buildings, then we went across the street to the actual hospital building itself and delivered in the maternity ward areas. We were able to give each bed a bag- there were just enough. We also had the opportunity to hold babies- some born earlier in the day that were laying with their mothers. I held one that was less than 10 hours old. The button nose, the curly hair, the soft skin... babies like ours back home but not born into privilege- born into poverty. I wonder what life will hold for them in the coming days and years. I know my kids were able to be driven home on paved roads in a newer car, in a brand new car seat that was fitted to ensure their safety, with a new bunting outfit on, blankets, and then brought to a home with running water and electricity. Then were provided all the food they needed, the infant check ups, the well child visits, and since have enjoyed always having food, clothing, and shelter. I understand we have people in the US that don't have all the same luxuries, but I can say is the people at home have options for shelters, government aid, and programs to assist them. It isn't perfect, but they are all still options that the Haitians do not have available to them. It's a hard day.

Saturday (yesterday) was a second trip to Grace Village, this time to spend time with the orphans. There were bears cut out of felt that they were able to choose colors and buttons for eyes, stuff, and put the heart inside of them. All of the prep work a true labor of love by Shelley (one of the leaders). The other project were kits supplied by Home Depot back at home- a wooden calendar with the dates on them. The guys helped the kids put those together, while there was a group sewing bears, another putting the snack together for them. We also have on our team someone who put a fundraiser together to provide AED's for Grace Village and taught a CPR/ emergency response class. What a blessing they were able to provide those and the extra measure of help, in hope they will never need to use them.

To help us wind down and spend time together as a team, we were blessed with the time and ability to visit Wahoo Beach down here. It is absolutely beautiful and gives a perspective of something other than the poverty that exists in Haiti. The water was wonderful, sun bright, and few hours relaxing were much appreciated.

So... blessed. Blessed in the perspective of the quality of care we have back home. The ability to not only have a doctor look at and diagnose the issues, but the medication provided. Blessed to have a sterile environment to be cared in. Blessed to see how Grace Village has come since my first trip- when there were shells of the dorms for the kids and the feeding center-- to today with two dorms, feeding center, medical clinic, school, aquaponics, church, and under construction are four houses for family style living. Amazing blessing of God. Blessed to see the kids blossom under the care being provided and having the approval of counselors on the system in place- the kids love it there and don't necessarily wish for something else. Blessed. I was sore the last couple of days physically but I had been supplied the medication required and was able to get some semblance of relief. Blessed by the staff that takes care of us so well down here. Blessed by the experience of loving on children. Blessed by the ability to take a part of a day and start to decompress as a team. There are hard days in Haiti- tears from all present at times- but blessed in knowing God continues to break our hearts for what breaks His. It is my prayer that one day, all might understand the blessing through the hurt.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

I love Haiti. It's so interesting that for a week, it feels like two days and four weeks all at the same time. Each stop, each activity, each piece of the day feels like an entire day. And yet? At the end of a week, I'm always wishing for more.... If my kids could only be down here at the same time... The temptation to stay would be excessively strong, regardless of the logistics.

Today was a mixture of things. We started the day with a trip to Titayen for the Grace Village tour. Grace Village is the- I'll call it a ministry center- for Healing Haiti there. There is an orphanage. There is a feeding center. There are ovens. There is a clinic. There is a school. There is an aquaponic system. They're building additional buildings so the elders can come live there. We did a tour, with Bianca providing a great synopsis of what each building is for, what the intent is, and the potential plans for the ministry and the local outreach. I love Grace Village. It is so well built, providing opportunity for a better life as can be had as an orphan here. The view is beautiful. The colors, the design, the layout are really great.

Next was visiting those that are in our elder care program. Elder Care is honestly not my "sweet spot" with Haiti, but this amazing ministry of Healing Haiti. The elders are supported and cared for through food and water deliveries, as well as medical care at the clinic at Grace Village. The support comes from sponsors back at home. Today we brought food and juice to them and rubbed them with lotion on their hands and feet. One of the ladies on the team found lavender oil for their hair and they worked together to rub it into their scalp. We also had packed nail polish as a way to pamper them somewhat. We visited five different elders, with varying health statuses, home conditions, and family available to them. Their faith blows me away. Their reliance on God is unprecedented. Their perseverance is an example to live by. I am so blessed to be able to spend the little bit of time with them.

From there we went to Juno's orphanage to complete the same craft with Jesus written on the kids' hearts-- the project was well received and there were some special connections made with those on the team.

The word today was change. There is a pot hole in the road near the guest house that we drive past/ over every day that has been here for the last three and a half years since my first trip. Change- the pot hole was fixed today. There has been other road construction including an actual detour- not just a patch. Awesome. The change in Haiti from that first trip down- the cleaning up, road work, improvement as a whole. Change- the change for the orphans that we were able to touch their hearts and their day in bringing a project for them. Change- For the many resources now available in Titayen due to the building so that there would be better care for the Elders as they are. Change. Sigh. Three and a half years ago, I said I wasn't sure if I was going to come back because it was out of my zone. I built houses so LA would be a better rebuild for me, right? Or REALLY? Anything BUT coming back to Haiti was where I was less than qualified to do any kind of fix. Today? Change. A peace that surpasses understanding struck at Grace Village. I'm not saying I think God is doing anything or calling me to anything.... but the peace came at the time someone made a comment to which I responded, "I could just live here." I didn't panic. I didn't make an excuse. I didn't say it for anything but what it simply was... an admission that if God had it in mind, my heart was open to doing more. I made the comment to the team that there are many more qualified and worthy of the position and calling than what I am.... But if God wanted me to, I would give up winter for Him. :) Haha.

In all seriousness? Haiti is in the business of change and heart work. We come down here to serve and end up changing ourselves. The song I played this morning was Beautiful Things by Gungor and one line says "You make beautiful things out of the dust; You make beautiful things out of us"... Regardless of the direction that God calls us to and impacts us for after Haiti, He alone is the one able to make the heart change while we are here, and as we start to prepare to go home. I'm not ready to go by any means yet. We still have things to do, places to go, people to see, hearts to be touched. In the midst of the dust and dirty and hard days, God is making something beautiful in the changes. Onward.

Being a team of 19, we have some things that make our size an absolute blessing. In other things? We are a little big. That was the case yesterday when we went out. There were choices that had to be made as to who was going to go to the Home for Sick and Dying Babies and who was to go to Gertrude's.

Home for Sick and Dying babies is a place where parents can bring their children for medical care, formula for the babies, and so forth. There are children there that have illness due to malnourishment, among others, but malnourishment is the prevalent reason they are in a crib with an IV hooked up, based on previous experience. Their parents either come and stay there or they come to visit during the day or when they can, but at times need to go work- just like those parents in the US. There also is a place that breaks my heart- the room with the orphaned children- some confined to a bed due to lack of nourishment. Many a size or three smaller than what we are used to for a multitude of reasons. It's a visit of diaper changes, feeding, holding babies, and sometimes, just stroking the back or belly of the kids too fragile to lift.

The second option was where I found myself- Gertrudes. Gertrudes is a special needs orphanage down here that just blesses me more and more each time I'm down here. It is the picture example of the improvement of Haiti from my first trip three and a half years ago- an improved facility, cleaner- better clothing for the kids- a playground that has been fashioned for these disabled children to be able to have safe play. Being a child in Haiti is hard. Being an orphan is that much more tough. Being a disabled orphan without the facility care that we are able to offer is indescribable. And yet? This great joy from each of these kids. They have this ability to smile and find joy in being held in the sunshine like Maxo. They love to be pushed in their chair like Alencia (?sp). They loved the suckers we brought for them. The balloons. I had a little girl fall asleep on my lap not long after I picked her up. It's this great thing to have a smaller space and have a small child fall asleep on you- the ability to take the picture of the other kids playing, smiling, just pleased to have someone come to touch in love and not only to care for a base need of wiping the drool or a runny nose.

We then went to the Apparent Project- it's this great company that employs Haitians making beaded necklaces, wooden bowls, metal art, aprons, and so forth. They have Haitians making all of the items as a means for these people- the parents- to have employment with honor so they are able to care for their children or just themselves in general. I love the idea, the solution that gives them the ability to work toward supporting themselves instead of merely offering a charity- give a man a fish versus teach him to fish. It's pretty great.

Next stop is LaFarre's orphanage. One of our first timers had the idea for a velum heart on top of a foam heart- the velum heart having Jesus written on it, and the kids being able to write their names on the foam one. The symbolism, for how they were cut, tied, and assembled, was to show Jesus name is written on their hearts. What a great idea and a great reminder wherever they are. They also were able to decorate them with stickers and crosses and so forth. Awesome. We were given a tour with part of the team being able to talk with them about how to finish the church they have started. The question was asked- what is needed- how much- what part do you need done the most. The answer? A roof. The possible answer? A couple of brothers on the trip. There are questions to be asked and details to work out, but there is a possibility of solving this need.

My word was long in coming yesterday. Learning. Alyn Shannon, by all accounts, was an amazing woman. One of the most powerful videos I've seen with regard to Haiti, but also this organization, was one where she relayed she asks what is God trying to teach me? So learning. Learning about how to better deal with special needs kids so I can better serve the babies at Gertrudes. Learning about each team member- one person has a brother who, solely from the misfortune of a car accident, now has brain damage. Her perspective and heart being at Gertrudes is not one I'll forget any time soon. Learning about each other- the funny stories of the brothers coloring each other's hair or other childhood stories, the boyfriend of one of the teens on the trip, the differences each of us bring to an excessively large team. The story that touched my heart was one about of the men on this trip. A headache and an insistent wife once upon a time led to the discovery of a brain tumor. The prognosis is not great by the world's standards. The prognosis in God's timing I pray is different. The way God has shown up and blessed them with provision and answering the craziest dream is not something that I can accurately describe. Learning- what is God trying to teach me in the differences in each team member- how everyone ticks- how every one of them is able to bring different strengths and encouraging those they do bring that they may not see in themselves. The learning of what God is trying to teach me. I continue to be amazed and blessed by the differences in each trip, each day, and each time I go home what it is God wants me to know an understand. To HIM be the glory. Mold me and teach me God. This is Your trip and your team to do just that. I would hope for no less.